KLM customers disembark faster at Schiphol with world’s first fully automatic jet bridge
Today, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines put the world's first fully automatic jetway into service. A new innovation allows a double jet bridge to connect automatically to aircraft within one minute, thereby reducing passenger waiting time dramatically. The new jet bridge will help to shorten times between aircraft arrival and departure, where every minute counts. It also reduces the risk of malfunction or damage caused by operator error.
KLM and its SkyTeam partners will use the fully automatic bridge, which will be operated by KLM employees. KLM will test the jetway as part of Schiphol's airport operations until the end of 2019. Thereafter, a decision will be made about its further roll-out.
The new jet bridge is equipped with smart technology, including cameras on the bridge that recognise the aircraft door and sensors that help it connect to the aircraft door. A KLM employee will activate the bridge and supervise the process.
"The fully automatic passenger bridge at Schiphol is a great innovation and can make a real difference," says René de Groot, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer at KLM. "KLM is proud to have contributed to its development. The bridge can connect up within one minute, and that means shorter waiting times for our customers. What's more, the innovation will contribute to our punctuality and reduce the risk of breakdowns. All of this will ensure an even better customer experience."
"I am proud that the world's first fully automatic double-decker passenger bridge is going into operation at Schiphol," says Dick Benschop, CEO of Royal Schiphol Group. "Innovation helps us improve quality so we can make the airport as comfortable and efficient as possible for passengers and airlines alike."